Binding of low-density lipoproteins from chicken egg yolk to mouse anti-phospholipid B cells which include B cells against bromelain-treated mouse erythrocytes.

Low-density lipoproteins from chicken egg yolk (EyLDL), which are reactive with mouse antibodies against bromelain-treated mouse erythrocytes (BrMRBC), were conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). FITC-EyLDL could bind specifically to mouse anti-phospholipid B cells, which comprised all the BrMRBC-rosette-forming cells and anti-BrMRBC lipopolysaccharide-reactive B cells, C3H/He mice at 12 weeks of age had, approximately, 7 x 10(5) EyLDL-binding cells in the peritoneal cavity, 3 x 10(5) EyLDL-binding cells in the pleural cavity, and 3 x 10(5) EyLDL-binding cells in the spleen. In ontogeny, the numbers of EyLDL-binding cells in the peritoneal cavity expanded greatly by 4 weeks. Other normal strains of mice and C3H/HeJ mice at 12 weeks of age had 4-7 x 10(5) EyLDL-binding cells in the peritoneal cavity; the numbers were large (19 x 10(5] in NZB mice, rather small (2 x 10(5] in MRL/lpr mice, and very small (0.1 x 10(5] in CBA/N mice. In some of various strains of mice at 12 months of age, more than 20% of peritoneal cells were EyLDL-binding cells; in particular, all of five older NZB mice examined had more than 10(7) EyLDL-binding cells in the peritoneal cavity.